The SURFING Interview: Moonlight Glassing

Moonlight Glassing is an interesting place. You may not have ever been there before, but if you have ridden a Channel Islands surfboard or a Campbell Brothers surfboard in the Southern California area, there is a good chance these guys have glassed your board. Located just east of Carlsbad in the city of San Marcos, a small hardcore crew of guys has been operating this San Diego institution for years. Recently, SurfingTheMag.com stopped by to pay them a visit and see what the place was all about. The following is an interview two of the guys that run the shop; Peter St. Pierre and his son JP St. Pierre.SurfingTheMag.com: When did Moonlight start out in San Diego?Peter St. Pierre: 1979. We were working at Sunset Surfboards, on coast highway in Encinitas. They wanted to shut it down and just go into retail. So we took over the glass shop.SurfingTheMag.com: Were you still at Sunset Surfboards after taking over? Peter: We were there for a couple of months, and then we moved out here to the Carlsbad / San Marcos area. A much larger place for us to work in.SurfingTheMag.com: You’ve definitely come a long way since the early days. Peter: Well, a long way from the coast, yeah. [laughs]SurfingTheMag.com: There are certain things that Moonlight is well known for – specifically your eye to detail and superior product. Can you elaborate on how yours is different from other glass shops?

Peter: Well, we like to do the hard stuff. From tints to colors to pinlines and air sprays. We also work with bonzers and other unique shapes. JP St. Pierre: We try our hardest. We try to set ourselves apart by running an honest business. The shop is completely legal. We have every single environmental permit, our workers all have workers comp, they all have {{{insurance}}}, every employee pays payroll taxes – no under the table workers here.SurfingTheMag.com: It seems like people go way out of their way to get their boards painted and glassed here. Tell us why that is. Peter: Well, it’s no secret – you just gotta like making surfboards, and do them right. That’s it – build them like they are supposed to be built. JP: Yeah, there’s no secret about it, I think people like to come here because we have the cat (Moondoggie). [laughs] No, they like to come her because it’s a family run operation. Nobody is drinking beer all day in the back alley, or being rowdy. Everyone here is a professional – just workin’.SurfingTheMag.com: Everything is very professional – you can tell that just by walking around and having a look. Peter: Mainly what sets us apart is that we show up for work every day.Continued…